Stress isn’t always a bad thing; it can be handy for a burst of extra energy and focus, like when you’re playing a competitive sport or have to speak in public. But when it’s continuous, it actually begins to change your brain.

Most people don’t know this, but when you receive a chiropractic adjustment, your body responds positively as realigning your spine helps open the channels of communication between your brain and other bodily systems, allowing it to properly heal all on its own. Essentially, this means less pain and less stress, and improved function of every system in your body.

Watch this video to learn how chronic stress can affect brain size, its structure, and how it functions, right down to the level of your genes. Lesson by Madhumita Murgia, animation by Andrew Zimbelman.Want to know how stressed YOU are? We use cutting edge technology to objectively measure your stress and your nervous system health.